A commune in Maine-et-Loire has imposed a curfew for minors, 'no appeals have been registered'

In the commune of Longuenée-en-Anjou, located in Maine-et-Loire, a novel curfew has been imposed on minors. Since August 1, individuals under the age of 18 are prohibited from circulating alone at night. The municipal ordinance mandates that minors must be accompanied by an adult between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

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The risk for young minors who find themselves left to themselves in the middle of the night, to be associated with or incited to acts of delinquency and thereby participate in disturbances of public tranquility.

Mayor Daniel Raverdy cited "the risk for young minors who find themselves left to themselves in the middle of the night, to be associated with or incited to acts of delinquency and thereby participate in disturbances of public tranquility." He explained to Ouest-France that the measure was prompted by escalating acts of vandalism committed by adolescents this summer. These incidents included blocking public toilets with plaster, breaking association windows, and setting off firecrackers outside homes late at night. Florence Lucas, a delegated mayor for La Meignanne, a part of Longuenée-en-Anjou, added that several pedestrian path posts were also uprooted, with damages estimated at 10,000 euros.

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Public toilets were blocked with plaster, the windows of an association were broken, and firecrackers exploded in the middle of the night in front of the doors of lonely people.

Since the curfew's implementation, no new incidents have been reported. Mayor Raverdy acknowledged that while only a small group of minors may be responsible, the measure aims to protect the tranquility of the commune's 6,500 residents. He noted that the curfew is a response to a situation that "crossed a threshold" this summer.

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In our commune, several posts on a pedestrian path have just been uprooted.

This local ordinance has not faced legal challenges, unlike similar measures in four communes in the Loire department. In those cases, administrative tribunals suspended the curfews, citing a "lack of specific local circumstances" and the "adapted and proportionate nature of these measures in relation to the stated objective of protecting public safety and tranquility."

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We know that today, it may be about ten minors who are committing these acts, but we are punishing all of them.